


All Isn’t Fair In Love And War

by marvelsbitch



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alpha!Bucky, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fluff, House of Lords au, M/M, Not super Graphic, Omega!Steve, Somewhere around Victorian era fic, TRIGGER WARNING father abuses mother, fiesty steve, my first fic ooo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27602119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelsbitch/pseuds/marvelsbitch
Summary: Steve agrees to an arranged marriage with the alpha James Barnes in order to get his mother away from his abusive father. After so many experiences with awful alphas will Steve be able to tolerate much less enjoy his marriage with Bucky?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	1. Black Eyes and Bloody Determination

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Of Broken Dreams and Mended Hearts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2421641) by [Kellyscams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kellyscams/pseuds/Kellyscams). 



> So this isn’t heavily researched or edited so if you find any mistakes feel free to kindly correct them. Please kudos and comment! I’m struggling through a lot right now so it’s really cool to have this to hold onto. Love all y’all. It’s my first Stucky fic so hope you like it! I’ll try to update often. Also check out this fic this inspired by!

Steve got his first black eye when he was seven. He had been going to the market with the cook Nora when he saw two boys in an alley kicking a cat. He had a particular affinity for cats since they never seemed to mind when he was sick and lounged around the garden in his presence. He marched right up to those two boys and hit the back of one of the boys’ knees. The other whirled around,

“Look at him, scrawny little kid thinks he can stop us from doin whatever we want.”  
He saw the cat scamper away just before the first fist came on the side of his jaw, knocking out one of his lose teeth. He bent down to pick it up, inadvertently ducking the next punch from the other boy. The next kick landed making him stumble as he got back up. He raised his fists, just as his father taught him, but before he got the chance to hit back he heard someone calling,

“You boys, you there! What do you think you’re doing?” sending the boys running down the alleyway before the big alpha could grab ahold of them.

Nora was a step behind him pulling Steve into her arms and promptly fussing over him.  
“Honey, are alright? I don’t understand how you’re already getting into such trouble. Good thing I found Phillips here when I did huh?”  
The alpha, Phillips returned from looking down the alley, “Just a few nasty troublemakers, you make sure little Lord Steven here is alright and we’ll keep an eye out for them.”

She ushered him home quickly where he got a concerned hug from his mother and an appraising glance from his father,  
“Did you hit them back?”  
“Joseph” she said with a slight warning in her voice  
“Sarah” he practically growled back

She looked down in submission but quickly took Steve and retreated to the garden. She listened kindly as he told her everything and pet the stray cats with him. Of course she scolded him too, cause he had weak health and couldn’t really afford a lot of extra pain.  
——————————————

He got his 30th black eye three days after he turned nineteen. He had come home from the market with Nora early and walked in on his Father with his hand around his mothers neck, forcing her to kneel. Bottles of liquor spread across the table they usually ate at. He had walked through the back door with Nora so he overheard his Father’s gruff voice,

“It’s your fault. He’s not even a good omega, he’s feisty and useless as you are.”  
He watched as she tried to shake her head but his hands clamped down tighter.  
“Please I’ll do anything, just don’t hurt him.”  
“Anything, huh, you haven’t spread your legs for me in so long, weak little omega.” His mother whimpered in response to those growled words

He had been afraid of his father, especially since presenting as an omega three years previous. His father had wanted an alpha to inherit his title as Lord and carry on his legacy. He had gotten older and drunker and meaner. Whenever Steve did anything wrong, his father took it out on his mother though she tried to hide it. But this was the absolute breaking point.

He strode forward with absolute purpose grabbing a bottle on his way over to his father. Before he could fully turn around registering Steve’s heavy footsteps he swung the bottle making firm contact with the side of his head. In his already intoxicated state, he slumped forward over his still kneeling mother.

Steve hurried to push him off of her and clutched her to his chest as she sniffled a bit. She pulled herself together, out of sheer determination and straightened herself up.  
Containing his fury he asked, “Are you alright?”  
“Oh, my dear Steven, I’m so sorry that you had to see that, thank you as well.” She said glancing down at his father on the floor  
“Is that… does he… you can’t… I can’t let him do this anymore Ma.” He finally ended with. “Please isn’t there anything to do, can we run away, or or…”  
She smiled sadly at him and pulled him back into her arms. “This is my burden, Steven, I must carry.”  
“NO, I won’t let this happen. I’ll… I’ll poison him!”  
“Steven, he is still your father and you can’t waste your future in jail or live in fear of conviction. There simply isn’t anything to be done. Well, maybe you could go to Howard’s or.. Or..”  
“Mother, we’ve been over this, you can’t send me away. I’m not leaving you.” He protested  
“Lady Rogers” Nora pipes up from the doorway “There’s the letters to consider?”  
“No! I won’t. No.”  
“What letters?” Steve inquires  
“The marriage arrangement letters.” She says before Sarah can get a word in edgewise.  
“Oh… well”  
“No”  
“I can just take a quick look at them,'' he pleads Nora already has fetched them and hands him two. It is customary to marry off an omega before his twentieth birthday but most have found love or romance by then, though the practice of arranged marriages is not unusual.

The letters are both written formally with an official document behind them. They contain the usual pleasantries but are both relatively forward in asking for Steve and boasting about dowries. The one from the Barnes family has a little more tact maybe. The proposal from the Rumlow family is a little more crass maybe. He knows of both the families, through his studies, but couldn’t put faces to either of the alpha sons.

He turns to the contracts and sees with a sinking heart that his fathers signature is already scrawled across Rumlow’s.  
“He already…?” Nora inquiries over his shoulder  
“Yes, although, he was three drinks in, we could burn it” Steve turns to look at her, slightly surprised in her conviction. She cups his face, “I want you find love, and alpha that will treat you better.”  
“Mother, I’m 19 and not exactly the kind of omega that alpha’s fall in love with.” He states bluntly turning back to the contract. His eye catches on the details of the Barnes dowry,   
“Look, Ma, a small estate in the country. All Rumlow is offering is some farmland and livestock which knowing their reputation is probably dilapidated and rather worthless. You’ve always talked about how you wanted to move to the country.” His hope causes ideas to run wild in his head. “You burn Rumlow’s, I’ll copy Father’s signature onto Barnes then leave and visit cousin Peggy while we wait for a reply. I could visit you once you move to the country and we could do art together. Father doesn’t need to know all the specifics.”  
“Steven” she looks apprehensively at the letters in his hands.  
“No Ma, we’re doing this, if I have to give this up to see you happy I’ll do it in a heartbeat.” He says already tossing Rumlows into the fire so that she can’t stop him.  
“If I may my lady, Barnes’s cook Martha, has vouched for the boy and his kindness.”  
“Fine, if you’re sure, BUT, we are amending the contract so that if any physical abuse occurs the marriage will be null and void. You do understand how much you’re giving up, right Steven?  
“Yes, ma, I am, but will do this.” He says already forging Joseph’s signature.


	2. Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They stay at Peggys and they get married. Bucky might even flirt a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy! I realize I just published the first chapter at 1am this morning but I’m in the writing groove so what can I say? Here’s to failing an economics test and doing this instead! Commenting would mean a lot!

They leave the house quickly, letting Nora deliver the letter and stay to fetch them when she receives it’s reply. Nora’s bonded with their driver Arthur so Joseph can’t touch her. While he’s drunk he’s not stupid and won’t cross a line that would jeopordize anything else.

The Carters greet them graciously. They welcome them with pleasantries and exchange an understanding. Charlie, Sarah’s beta brother, knows a lot about what’s been going on but is just as helpless to stop it due to the laws keeping Sarah trapped, though Steve has overheard more than one conversation trying to get his Ma to stay with Charlie.

Steve catches up with Peggy, hearing all about her new suitor Timothy or as she jokingly calls him Dum Dum. He spills everything about the Barnes situation as well. Apparently the son James is a friend of a friend of hers.  
That evening lying in the dark in Peggys room he struggles to fall asleep tossing and turning and hoping he made the right choice. Not that he’ll change it or even admit to his doubt but there are so many things that could go wrong.

“I know if he had the chance to woo you, he would.” Peggy interrupts his swirling thoughts across the room.  
“Yeah, right”  
“No I’m serious he’s a very romantic man but has simply-”  
“No Peggy, I know I’m just a means to an end and I’m okay with that” He replies rolling over to face her.  
“I swear, he was just serving his time as a guard under the King, otherwise he would’ve-.”  
“I know he just needs to secure his seat in the House of Lords before he becomes too old.”  
“He’s only 23, he has two more years in which he could have secured a younger omega. Besides, I truly did hear from Natasha that he has his eye on you.”  
“Why would anyone have their eye on me Peggy?”  
“Steven, you give yourself far too little credit, you’re a catch.”  
“Thanks, but I’m very certain our arrangement has a lot to do with his parents pressuring him for heirs.” he says stubbornly.  
“I guess you’ll see.”  
“I guess I will.”

The next evening Nora finally drops by with an unopened letter. Steve’s hands shake as he reaches to open it. It’s in the same masculine handwriting as the previous letter written by Goerge Barnes, and is rather nice, saying they are delighted to welcome Steve into the family. In reference to the amendments Sarah requested his tone seems slightly offended but nevertheless agrees to it and plans to meet them at the church the following afternoon.

\------------------------  
Many of his friends and family gathered inside the church at quick notice. It is afterall a lazy Sunday afternoon. His mother had met the guests and apologized for Joseph's lack of attendance, with an excuse about his health, which was relatively accurate.  
Steve paces nervously outside the church doors waiting for James to join him. He fiddles with the split seam of his mother’s traditional plain white wedding frock.  
“Hello, you look ... ravishing” he felt Barnes’s eyes sweep hungrily over him. Steve feels himself blush but collects himself to glance at Barnes with a much more dignified look.  
“Hm, You look objectively pleasant.” James gave a surprised snort and glanced over with dancing eyes to see Steve’s closed off stony face.  
“Shall we.” He offers his elbow.  
“If we must”  
“Hey, before we ya know, pledge our undying fealty to each other forever, you’re sure you want to do this, right?” He offers Steve an out, “I know you may have been forced into this but if you want to back out, no hard feelings.” Steve stubbornly sets his jaw and squeezes his arm in response to the kind gesture.  
“I’m doing this.” James searches his eyes hopefully finding Steve’s unflinching resolve, nods, and starts forward to walk through the doors and down the aisle.

Steve reaches the altar and kneels but refuses to lower his head as is traditional.  
Barnes only response is to lightly cup his jaw, kindly not forcing him to comply.  
“I, James Buchanan Barnes, swear to cherish and protect, help and guide my omega in all circumstances of life. As his husband I pledge to him my undying faithfulness and care. I now lovingly take Steven Rogers into my life so that we may be bonded as one.” Steve finally lowers his head to accept the thin golden marriage necklace placed carefully over his collar.

“I Steven Grant Rogers swear to honor and obey,” he gulps and forces out “s-serve and submit to my Alpha in all circumstances of life. As his husband I pledge to him my undying faithfulness and care. I too lovingly take James Barnes into my life so that we may be bonded as one ” Steve says reaching up to slip a ring on James finger then kisses it.

“In the eyes of God and the law I now pronounce you Alpha and Omega. You may kiss.”  
James pulls him to his feet and tentatively, almost shyly brushes his lips against his. Steve lets out a relieved breath and forces a smile turning to the gathered attendees.

James murmurs in his ear “Mm what fun this marriage shall be!” He smirks and throws his arms around Steve at his answering glare.


End file.
